Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 appears to be causing a new symptom among children: conjunctivitis. So far, the evidence is anecdotal and based on what physicians in India — where the strain is fueling a surge in cases — have seen among patients.
In an April 10 report, Fortune Well cited a tweet from Vipin Vashishtha, MD, a pediatrician in India and head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunization. Dr. Vashishtha notes that as cases among kids rise for the first time in six months, "an infantile phenotype seems emerging," which includes high fever, cough and "itchy" conjunctivitis, or pinkeye.
The conjunctivitis appears to be present without pus, but as "sticky eyes," he said in the tweet.
As COVID-19 cases rise in India, there are "lots of anecdotals of pediatric conjunctivitis in India right now," Raj Rajnarayanan, PhD, assistant dean of research and associate professor in the department of basic sciences at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, told Fortune. Dr. Rajnarayanan runs a dashboard that tracks COVID-19 variants using data from GISAID, a global data-sharing platform for viruses.
While conjunctivitis has been reported as a COVID-19 symptom in the past, it seems to be appearing more often now, according to anecdotal accounts. Still, it's too early to tell whether the symptom set has really shifted with XBB.1.16.
The World Health Organization added the strain to its list of variants under monitoring March 22. The CDC is not yet tracking the newest omicron subvariant, though it has been spotted in at least 27 states. The strain is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, including India, where it has replaced other circulating variants.